Pilates

Puh-LAH-teez was developed by Joseph Hubertus Pilates in the early 1920’s. Originally, he coined the term “contrology”, the art of control or complete coordination of body, mind and spirit. His guiding philosophy to achieving good health was that the whole being- body, mind, and spirit must be addressed!

Joseph Pilates was born in Germany on November 30, 1880. He was a frail child, suffering from asthma, rickets, and rheumatic fever. At a young age, he dedicated himself to finding ways to cope with these ailments and to sustain his health and fitness. Pilates studied Yoga, Zen meditation, gymnastics, diving, and bodybuilding, among other things. He worked as a boxer, circus performer, self defense trainer, nurse and model for anatomy charts. He combined a multi-layered approach to body conditioning that balances strength building, body awareness, controlled breath, and flexibility to develop what we know today as Pilates.

Joseph Pilates’ rich background provided him the foundation to innovate a cutting edge system that he developed throughout his life. Pilates immigrated to New York City to pursue a new life (some say he was invited to the US to train Max Schmelling, renowned German boxer who made his fame in the US). Joe met Clara on his way to the US and they quickly married. She played an integral role in developing and teaching the Pilates method of body conditioning. Joe and Clara opened their first studio in 1926, teaching classes in Contrology. Word spread about the benefits of Contrology, and notable individuals in the dance community, including Martha Graham, Ted Shawn, Hanya Holm, and George Balanchine, studied with Pilates. The system of body conditioning continued to develop and was renamed Pilates some time after the death of Joesph Pilates in 1967. Over the course of his life, Pilates developed more than 500 exercises for the various pieces of apparatus he innovated. Pilates is a holistic approach to well being and a lifelong process of refinement.